[Chula13]

My oldest was formula fed and was an awesome sleeper my seven month old still doesn't sleep more then a few hours at a time. Is it that he's breastfed or is it his age? Will it get any better as he gets older? Or do you having suggestions on helping him sleep better? I have actually contemplated weaning cause it's just so hard with the lack of sleep. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alegna]

It's just personality. Both of mine are 100% breastfed and I never nightweaned and both have slept very well at night.

-Angela

 

[Chula13]

Thanks =), I hope he outgrows it soon , until then I guess I'll continue living on caffeine...LOL

 

[Phoenix~Mama]

Um... by living on caffeine how much are you drinking and are you drinking any caffeine close to nightime?

I noticed my DD gets wired if i drink more than one cup of any type of caffeine a day... remember things you drink get into your milk.

Have you tried cutting back on caffeine and seeing if that affects your babe at all?

 

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSMa Um... by living on caffeine how much are you drinking and are you drinking any caffeine close to nightime? I noticed my DD gets wired if i drink more than one cup of any type of caffeine a day... remember things you drink get into your milk. Have you tried cutting back on caffeine and seeing if that affects your babe at all?

This for SURE!! try it and see if it helps.

 

[Megan73]

I bet there are lots of FF babes who wake in the night for bottles, too.
No flames, please but I'm not convinced that older babies wake up because they're hungry, though. I think they wake and need to be BF to get back to sleep because that's how they always go to sleep.
I say this because my eight-month-old rarely wants to nurse in the night. I think it's because DH - who is a very light sleeper - often gets to him before I do and is able to soothe him back to sleep with a quick cuddle or even just shushing him.
Could your partner take on a bit more nighttime parenting so you could get some sleep?

 

[Sassafrass]

I'll be the dissenter.

4 kids
1st 2 formula fed, after failed BF. Never CIO. AP'ed, but I didn't know there was a name for it.

Did not cosleep past the first few months, but they *never* complained about being in their cribs. Anyway, they slept GREAT! Great naps, Great nights, 12/13 hours, blah, blah, blah.

2nd 2, EBF.....they *never* sleep. #3 worse than #4. The baby will go to sleep w/o nursing, and is not nearly as fussy as #3 was, but she still doesn't sleep much more than 20 minute naps, and a very broken 8-10 hrs at night. I know some will say that's good sleeping, but I do not believe it is, based on prior experience. Especially when several hours of that wake time is spent with me bouncing/rocking/walking just trying to keep said babies from screaming their heads off. That says to me, that it's not enough.

Parenting is pretty much the same, except for the formula feeding for the first 2.

I do know that personality has a lot to do with it, but I am convinced that breastfeeding certainly has something to do with not sleeping. Maybe it's because my BF'd babes refuse a paci, and babies that take pacis sleep better? I suppose that's a theory, too.

 

[MonkeysRUs]

I know it's hard (my daughter used to nurse every 1-2 hours through the night), but the sleep patterns of breastfed babies are normal. It is the sleep patterns of formula fed babies that are abnormal. Some experts believe that the more frequent night waking of breastfed babies contributes to the fact that formula fed babies have a higher rate of SIDS. Nursing through the night is also beneficial for mom and baby because through the night is when prolactin levels are highest, and night nursing helps to maintain mom's milk production.
Babies can be "trained" to sleep through the night, but that doesn't mean it's healthy for them. In other areas of the world, frequent night waking is seen as a normal part of having a young child. The difference however, is that they usually have extended families who help with the child care. chores etc, so that mom can rest. Is there any way you can try to get some rest during the day, or minimize the disruption during the night by bringing baby into your bed, or at least to your bedside, so you don't have to get up?

 

[phrogger]

two kids both breast fed, one didn't sleep through the night until he was a year old and was up almost every hour, the second one slept through the night at 6 weeks. I am talking nearly 10 hours at a time to where I had to wake up the first few weeks to feed him. Force feed him actually.

I hope my new baby is like my second one

he only pooped every 10 days too

 

[Pandme]

Oooh, 7 months was a hard time for us. But I never nightweaned either and my horrible sleeper now sleeps through the night without nursing at all. He doesn't even nurse to sleep. He started around 20 months with the sleeping all night. Hang in there, it's worth it.

 

[crunchycon08]

My BF 9 month old DS is a crappy sleeper at night and an even crappier napper. He just doesn't sleep.

 

[philomom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phrogger two kids both breast fed, one didn't sleep through the night until he was a year old and was up almost every hour, the second one slept through the night at 6 weeks. I am talking nearly 10 hours at a time to where I had to wake up the first few weeks to feed him. Force feed him actually. I hope my new baby is like my second one he only pooped every 10 days too

This was similar to my experience. My first had to woken up for feeding. She would sleep the whole night. My second, well, he never slept until he was walking. It was very hard my health to be so sleep deprived.

 

[limabean]

Both my kids were/are BFed. DS started STTN on his own at about 5 months; DD still wakes up once a night to eat and she's 11 months. Just different personalities/needs, I guess.

 

[moondiapers]

I had a FF and a BF baby, both crappy sleepers....never slept through the night until they were about 4 years old. The BF one weaned at 3 1/2, still didn't sleep.

 

[cdahlgrd]

there was a study a few years ago that looked at infant sleep. They determined that it didn't matter how the babies were parented or fed, 1/3 slept through the night at a year, 1/3 woke 1-2 times, and 1/3 woke more than 2 times a night.

Sorry.

Of my 4 breastfed kids, 1 was horrid, 2 were bad, and this last one is wonderful. And of course, caffeine affected the horrid sleeper the most!!

 

[tjjazzy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula13 My oldest was formula fed and was an awesome sleeper my seven month old still doesn't sleep more then a few hours at a time. Is it that he's breastfed or is it his age? Will it get any better as he gets older? Or do you having suggestions on helping him sleep better? I have actually contemplated weaning cause it's just so hard with the lack of sleep. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i've been wondering the same thing!! i'm exhausted. my FF baby was sleeping through the night by now and had 2 long naps a day. my BF baby is nowhere near sleeping through and has 30 minute naps at most.

 

[tjjazzy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sassafrass Maybe it's because my BF'd babes refuse a paci, and babies that take pacis sleep better? I suppose that's a theory, too.

good point. my FF baby took a soother. my BF baby won't.

 

[Raene]

I actually saw an article maybe a week ago and it said breastfed babies do not sleep as heavily b/c they are in a different cycle of sleep...it was actually a pro-bf'ing article and I wish I remembered where I saw it, but it DID say they sleep less heavily and wake up more frequently.

 

[mamazee]

#1 slept terribly. #2 sleeps great.

 

[MountainMamaGC]

Each baby is different and will change as they grow. My DD slept 6-8 hours at a time from 2-8 months. Then from 8-12 months she woke every 2 hours to nurse. I am night weaning her now and she usually needs to nurse at 4 am. All the other times she is easily put back to sleep.